Light broke over Gideon. It was lurid and harsh, and in its glare he blamed himself for a thousand missed gestures and looks.A good uncle, a good brother-in-law...Oh, Gideon was a proper old Cornishman too, setting his faith in the bonds of family and kinship. Sarah had married Alf, so Joe had been – what? Put out of the way? Neutered like a troublesome dog?
What have you done with her?He wanted to bellow the question, run up the slope and shake out the answer like a rat from Joe’s throat. But whatever it was, it was done. And now he could see that part of the hunched-up shape was a gun, a hunting rifle. “And what happened? When you saw her?”
“Oh, she was in her bed – crying over that brat of hers. Pleased to see me at first, she was – old Joe, come to give the kids their teas and light the fire and explain why the police are after him.It’s all a mistake, she says to me, lying there. Beautiful, she is, even with her eyes all red and her hair in a mess.It’s a mistake, isn’t it, Joe?So I told her.”
“All right.” Gideon was listening intently, but he’d pushed his reflex of shame aside and his mind was clearing. He was sizing up the distance, the terrain between him and Joe. Best-in-class at downing an assailant, Gideon had always been, making the other lads on the refresher courses laugh, because out of all of them, who was least likely to need the skill?What’ll you do with it in Armpit-on-the-Wold, Gid – tackle the grannies off their zimmers?He’d laughed back at them. The grannies were safe, but he’d certainly enjoyed releasing his power and speed onto men of his own size. Joe Kemp was a big bloke, tough from his work in the fields. But Gideon had to get closer. “What did you tell her?”
“Parts you know already. You were there. How everyone laughed when she said she was marrying the Kemp lad, and it turned out she meant that scrawny rat Alf and not me. How they’d envied me until then.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“Then when she found out for herself what she’d done, how I solved her problem for her. I told her that. I didn’t mean to kill him, you know, Gid – just took him out here, down the hole I found when you helped me rescue that sheep. I was gonna let him get lost down here – he was bloody thick enough. But the stupid arsehole fell. Then when he wouldn’t stop screaming and begging me to help him, I – ”
“Stop, Joe. I know what you did.” Gideon had found what he’d been looking for, blindly feeling at the cavern wall – a hole in it big enough to take the torch. He moved out of the beam. Now the light would stay where it was, shining up into Joe’s face, while Gideon took one silent step and then another towards him. He lowered his voice to compensate. “You love the kids, don’t you? I know you love Lorna. You don’t need to say it out loud – what you did to Alf.”
“You’re wrong, you know.” Joe got warily to his feet, but his gaze remained fixed on the torch. “Why should I love Alf’s leavings? If Sarah had seen sense and married me, I’d have learned, but when I asked her she just laughed. She thought I was joking, you see, Gid. But I wasn’t. I only ever loved Sarah.”
“And with Alf gone, you thought...”
“Why wouldn’t I? But she’s as dumb in her way as one of old Trewarren’s Jersey cows. As difficult to budge. She wasn’t even unhappy without Alf. She never turned to me. So I took her child.”
Gideon had heard enough. He was close enough, too. He’d always been a bit shy of his bulk. He’d never carried any fat, but his tiny frail mother had looked at him – still did to this day – in disbelief. Now he was glad of every ounce. He gathered it together: launched it all at Joe Kemp in one rush.
Joe crashed onto his back. Lee’s shout resounded in the darkness – a protest, a warning, then all Gideon could hear was the roar of his own blood as he tangled limb to limb with Joe on the cave floor. He got his hand round the barrel of the gun. He rolled Joe onto his front and yanked the weapon out of his grasp. Joe snarled in frustration and writhed like a muscular eel out from under. His boot connected hard with Gideon’s skull.
Through fireworks Gideon saw an olive-skinned hand dip down to snatch the rifle out of reach. He lurched onto his hands and knees. Joe was running flat out for the passage that led to the surface. Lee was upright, his face unrecognisable with rage. He’d tucked the rifle stock against his shoulder and was taking an expert aim on the running man. “Lee, no!”
“Why not? You’ve noideahow he scared her. Tormented her.”
“Still can’t risk a shot in here. Roof’s not stable.”
“Herisked it. His brother pleaded like a baby, and he – ”
“Hush.” Gideon got up. Still half-blinded by sparks, he bore the rifle down. “It’s not your job. That’s a pretty pro grip you’ve got there, isn’t it?”
“I don’t come from a long line of TV psychics, you know! My dad’s a farmer out at Drift.”
“All right. All right.” Gideon planted a swift rough kiss on the brow that had to contain so many other people’s horrors as well as its own. “I’ve got to get after him.”
“Yes. Go.”
“I’ll have to help you hoist the kid up that sheer bit into the passage. That’s how he’s kept her captive here – he could come and go easily, but – ”
“She tried.” Lorna had shot out from the shadows and attached herself to Lee’s belt and jacket like a terrified monkey. Lee put a hand on her skull, and went on, as simply as if he were reading from a book, “She had a little keyring torch. She didn’t dare go down the other caves orshe’d get lost, but she got as far as here. Then he came back. He caught her, threw the torch away and left her in the cleft where you found us. In the dark.”
“I’m going to get him,” Gideon vowed. He put his hand on top of Lee’s and briefly caressed him and the child. “Lee, you stay back with her, but first let’s get you both out of here – I am not leaving anyone behind in this damn cave.”
***
Gideon came to a breathless halt on the rock-strewn turf. The moon had risen, casting diffuse silver light through the mist, and just as well: he’d left his torch behind with Lee. God knew how he’d been meaning to pursue a criminal across the moors without it.
He wasn’t sure he could do it in this. The light shifted and blurred, casting cobweb veils over the rocks. Still, Joe Kemp was subject to the same handicap. He couldn’t have got far. The faintest rattle – feet on stones? – gave him a direction, and he set off.
“Gideon, wait.”
He turned impatiently. Lee was scrambling out from between the rocks, Lorna in his arms. “Are you okay? I’ve got to go, Lee – I think he’s down there.”
“No. Something’s coming. Stay here.”
